What Is The Best Way To Germinate Cannabis Seeds?

The exact ‘best’ way to germinate cannabis seeds varies slightly from grower to grower, but the basics remain the same since the germination requirements for cannabis seeds obviously remain the same, no matter who is growing them. For healthy and effective germination of cannabis seeds, whether in nature or by people, the seeds must be kept moist, warm, and in the dark. There is no need for fancy equipment; it is easy to germinate cannabis seeds using only a few household items.

To germinate cannabis seeds, you will need:

– Two plates or saucers

– Plain kitchen paper towel, the thicker the better and without any designs printed on it

– A bottle of spring water

Depending on how many cannabis seeds you are planning to germinate, use big or small plates. Place two thicknesses of paper on one of the plates. Make sure you have clean hands! Arrange the cannabis seeds on the paper so that they are not too close together. Carefully, so as not to move them, place two more thicknesses of paper on top of the cannabis seeds.

Now slowly pour spring water onto the plate so that the paper towel becomes saturated. The paper should now stick together enough to hold the seeds in place while you drain the excess water off. To do this, turn the second plate upside down and put it on top of the first to form a clam-shell arrangement. Holding both plates together, carefully tip them sideways over a sink and allow any water not absorbed by the paper towel to flow out. Check to make sure the cannabis seeds are still nicely spaced apart.

Now that your seeds are moist and dark, you need to keep them warm. Note that warm does not mean hot. Do not put the plates on top of a heater or radiator, as not only do they get too hot, but also the temperature can fluctuate. Very sunny windowsills in the height are also a bad idea for the same reasons, but a warm place out of direct sunlight should be fine. If your room temperature is on the low side, placing your plates on a working hard-drive, or gaming console will work too. This should provide a low level of ambient heat that can aid and speed up germination.

You should now leave them undisturbed for 24 hours. After this time you should check them twice a day, and add water if needed, to make sure the paper towel stays moist throughout the germination process. This is very important, as cannabis seeds that get wet enough to crack open can quickly die if they then dry up. Conversely, cannabis seeds can also drown if they get too wet and no air is able to reach them, which is why you should always drain off any excess water after watering them.

Cannabis seeds may begin to crack open any time after the first 24 hours. However it can take up to four days for this to happen, and ten days – although rare, is not unheard of.

Shortly after the cannabis seeds crack open, the tiny white point of what will become the main taproot will emerge from the shell. Initially it is only a few millimetres long, so leave the seed in the damp paper towel until it is at least half a centimetre, taking care that it does not dry out. At this point, the germinated cannabis seeds can be gently placed in your chosen growing medium.